Multiplicity
by babybuonarroti
Summary: "Drip, drip, drop." She seemed to stare through him rather than at him. "Juvia comes when the rain comes." Nonmagic AU. Gray is met with a woman named Juvia and soon discovers the reason for her radical change of character to be Multiple Personality Disorder, but something about her feels familiar. Gruvia implied as well as hints at other pairings.
1. When the Rain Comes

**NONMAGIC AU.**

 **After all the crack skits I've been writing for Fairy Tail (Excluding _These Three Rules_ ), I've finally decided to settle down a little and write something a bit more serious. This idea came to me this morning, and after running it by my boyfriend (who didn't like it, but at least pretended to), I decided I would write it. I'm not sure if this is something that's been done before, I'm hoping it's not but it seems a bit like it would be. **

***Shameless self promotion* If you enjoy my writing style and you're interested in the relations between a witch, a drug dealer, and a demon, hit me up to read _The Orange Room,_ an original short-story written by me, myself, and I.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

After spending a few days out of town on business, he was finally returning home. He watched the trees pass in a blur of greens, sometimes breaking to allow mountains to peek through. He had watched this landscape pass too many times and yet the familiarity still seemed calming. Few thoughts rattled around in his head; what he would eat for dinner, his friends' reactions to him coming home, the weekend ahead.

The train-car swung this way and that, even if only slightly. He could hear the squeaking of the train's wheels as they rolled over the tracks, and the faint murmur of conversation a few aisles away. Everything else was silent.

He sat with his shirt unbuttoned out of habit, having gone through the day buttoning and unbuttoning and repeating, repeating, repeating the process as he did every day. He might even go to say that stripping was his nervous tick, though it happened subconsciously no matter the presence of nerves or lack thereof. His life was beginning to feel repetitive, as if he performed the same routine every week. In a way, he did. The man sighed, resting his back against the thin cushion of the train seat and trying to relax.

His eye caught a bright wave of blue adjacent to him, his gaze pulling toward it as if it was a magnet. A woman was sitting next to him, her skin alarmingly pale and her eyes focused forward. Her posture was rigid, but her bright blue hair fell down her back and around her shoulders in loose waves. He didn't remember hearing the car doors open, nor had the train stopped in quite some time. Where had she come from? Furthermore, there were plenty of empty seats besides the one directly next to him. He was curious, to say the least, about what she was doing there.

"Drip, drip, drop." She muttered, seemingly lost in thought. Her voice was dull and monotonous, paralleling her clothes which were very modest and monochromatic. Everything was blue, her mood included.

"Did you say something?" He asked her, his voice cool and reserved.

Her calculating gaze swiveled towards his, seeming to stare directly through him. "Drip, drip, drop." She repeated, hollowness flowing from her lips. Her head titled as her eyes pointed out of the window. "Juvia comes when the rain comes."

His brows notched in confusion, but he chose to follow her line of sight outside anyway. It hadn't been raining before, but now it was pouring. Lightning struck in the distance, dark clouds hanging over and blocking out the sun that had been beating down mercilessly only moments prior. The faint roar of thunder met his ears to accompany the storm. His dark eyes narrowed as he turned back to the woman, who stared at him expectantly. Unsure of what to say, he simply asked, "Where are you headed?"

"Juvia is going to Magnolia." She answered easily, her face void of emotion.

Even expressionless, he couldn't help that he found her to be rather attractive. Her pale skin gave the illusion of porcelain while her bright cerulean hair fell to frame her face and accentuate her features- especially her striking navy eyes, almost as dark as his own. "That's where I'm going too." He replied, relaxing into his seat once more.

"What is your name?" Juvia asked him, quickly tacking on, "Juvia's name is Juvia."

He allowed a small smile, "My name is Gray."

"Gray." She echoed, testing out the name before turning her attention back to the front of the train, stoic as she had been since he discovered her sitting next to him.

He turned to look out of the window again, noticing that the rain was beginning to taper off. The sun came out again a few long moments before the train finally reached its screeching halt. Juvia stepped out and allowed Gray to go before her while she gathered her bag, for which he politely thanked her and made for his exit. Before he stepped off of the train and into Magnolia, he turned to her one last time, "Hey, Ju...via..." His words died in his throat as he realized she was gone.

Gray shrugged, focusing his attention back on his personal matters. She probably just went through a different door.

* * *

The walk from the train station to _Fairy Tail_ , the guild he belonged to and admittedly spent most of his time at, was long and disinteresting. Somewhere along the way he had discarded his shirt, not that it mattered much to him. His hands were shoved loosely into his pockets as he took long strides down the street, nodding to civilians that passed him and gave more than a moment's glance.

The breeze was much appreciated when it decided to roll through, momentarily saving him from the relentless heat of the sun. He hated the heat, he had always preferred the cold. Well, maybe not always. His foster mother had certainly gotten him accustomed to the cold when he was just a kid. He changed his course of thought, unwilling to delve into that particular part of his heart at that moment.

Gray arrived at Fairy Tail after a long walk through town, stepping through the building's large wooden doors to greet his friends; his family. There followed a chorus of cheers and the sound of beer sloshing around in glass mugs and spilling on the floor, to which he smiled a genuine smile and took a deep breath of air that was uniquely Fairy Tail. "I'm back!" He announced, grinning as his long time friend came to greet him with a slap of hands.

"Yo, welcome back Ice Boy." The brightsmith with rosy hair greeted, his smile unmatched as he teased, "Did ya' screw it up?"

"You're the one who likes to break any and everything you touch, Natsu." Gray retorted, unable to wipe the smile from his face as they walked towards one of the booths. Gray returned greetings left and right, simply happy to be back home. "Hey Erza, hey Lucy, keeping the pyro in check?"

Lucy, the key holder, laughed as Natsu scowled. "I do my best, but he's not tameable." The blonde answered, ignoring Natsu as he opened his mouth to fire back.

"How was your job, Gray?" Erza, the silver and bladesmith, asked, cutting eyes at Natsu before he could pick a fight with Gray. Natsu slammed his mouth shut on account of the sword Erza held drawn in her hand to clean, instead choosing to pout at the wall and try to burn a hole in it with his eyes.

"Hard labor, as usual. A man's roof caved into his kitchen, so I helped him clean up the area and fixed up his roof for him. Not bad pay though, 200,000 jewels." He replied, reviewing the events of the past few days.

He had hauled out chunk after chunk of poorly installed roofing, which the man tossed into his fire pit to burn up, and then had to do a patch job even after insisting the man let him fix the glaring issue that was the quality of the entire roof to begin with. Once he was finished, Gray gave him his personal card and told him to mail him once the rest of it caved in. The man took it in good humor, though Gray was being serious.

"That's great, Gray." Lucy congratulated, happy to hear that his travel hadn't been wasted.

The guild was a place where skilled artisans gathered to seek jobs, drink, and make merry. There were always plenty of requests posted, ranging from the need of a blacksmith to the need of a muralist and everything in between. Just as the job postings implied, artisans over a range of talents gathered at Fairy Tail. They weren't a guild of uniform work, instead housing a mixture of specialties, which seemed to make them more popular.

"No kidding, that covers the rent for a few months." Gray grinned, proud of himself and his hard work. He deserved his reward and a few days of rest. Speaking of rest; he sighed, rising from his seat and stretching. "I can't stay too long. I just wanted to stop by before I went home." Gray admitted, sealing the deal with a yawn.

"One thing before you go." Erza called as Gray began to make his exit. He turned, giving her his full attention. "Your clothes." She warned, never looking up from where she had been polishing her intricately crafted sword.

He glanced down, only noticing then that he had somehow lost his shirt, while his pants still sat draped over the bench at the booth. "Dammit!" He yelped, hurrying to pull on his drawers and swiftly exit the guild before he could become Erza's newest test subject for her blades.

As he set out on his journey home, he could feel the drastic change in the air from when he had walked in. The wind had picked up, almost carrying a chill with it. It felt moist, as if it were about to rain. He glanced up at the sky, watching the tell-tale dark clouds gathering above him. A drop of rain fell to land on his cheek, rolling slowly down his skin before more droplets dared to follow. Gray cursed under his breath, wondering when Magnolia's weather patterns had adopted such spontaneity. He had assumed the storm on the train to be a fluke, he _had_ been on a moving train, after all. But for another storm to roll in so quickly?

He briskly picked up his pace, wishing to beat the rain before it began to pour. Much to his chagrin, the sky seemed to be completely falling out. He already felt water seeping through his pants, causing them to adhere to his skin. He ran a hand through his dark hair, pushing it back and out of his eyes. He found running rather futile at that point, deciding to merely enjoy the cool water as rivulets formed paths down his chest, back, and arms. His apartment was another ten minutes away, anyhow.

Most civilians had already skittered into their homes or taken shelter elsewhere, so Gray was surprised to see a woman walking through town with an umbrella shielding her from the steadily pouring rain. He caught a flash of brilliant cerulean and stole a look at her again, realizing that she was the same woman that had taken a seat beside him on the train. His brows knitted in confusion, finding it rather odd to see her again after she had disappeared so suddenly before.

" _Drip, drip, drop."_ He could hear her speaking, even with the distance between them. Even over the sound of the rain falling and crashing into the ground. _"Juvia comes when the rain comes."_

* * *

 **So, a little bit of mysterious activity happening. Jeez, this is a boring first chapter compared to some of the things I write. Also, I wanted to keep the guild aspect, so I'll be using some medieval profession titles, but there will be more modern inventions as well. Namely, the train. Please review, it makes my heart smile.**


	2. The Storm is Coming

**Thanks for reading! Honestly, I'm having a bit of a tough time focusing right now, but I'm glad I could get this chapter out. I'm trying to keep the days between posts at a minimum. I'm estimating this story to be around 10 chapters long, give or take.**

 **Disclaimer: I'm not Hiro Mashima, not even in a wig.**

* * *

Gray spent his days of rest doing anything but. He wasn't intentionally restless, of course, but he hadn't gotten the relaxing, good night's sleep he was hoping for either. Gray was no stranger to nightmares, but they had become less frequent over the years. Childhood trauma elicited horrifyingly gruesome renditions of experiences he endured in the past, as was the case for many others he knew.

The past few nights all held variations of the same scene. It was always the middle of the day, bright and sunny outside, and he would be out with his guild mates in the middle of a park. Natsu would pick a fight with him and Lucy would moan about her unpaid rent, Erza would try in vain to eat her favorite dessert in peace, Cana would be busy drinking herself sick and Mirajane would be bustling about to mother everyone. The rest of the guild members were, of course, their cheerful selves as they ate, drank, and made merry.

Gray would look up, transfixed on the sky as dark clouds crept slowly overhead, looking particularly ominous as they carried wind and heavy rain in their arsenal. He would find himself in the midst of a storm in seemingly no time at all, a blinding flash of lightning whiting out the scene. As the light faded and the darkness returned, his friends would be gone without a trace. He would whip around in a panic, feeling the world grow around him and leave him feeling helplessly small. He was alone, scared, stranded. The feeling was all too familiar.

As he looked down at himself, finding that it was he who had shrunk and not the world that had grown, he would find a trio of corpses lying at his feet; his mother, his father, and his foster mother. His eyes would widen, breath escaping him as he stared in horror at the lifeless bodies of his family members. They would be lying face down in the puddles of muddy water as rain relentlessly beat down upon them, soaking them to the bone and ripping away at their skin. Blood tainted the ground, staining everything beneath his feet a darkened crimson.

As he made a move to run, a hand would catch his leg. His father's hand, clasped around his ankle and keeping him in place. Gray would look down in sheer trepidation, a ghastly expression painting his tear-stained, rain beaten face. His father's head would rise from the ground, skin peeling away from bone as he painfully choked, "The storm is coming."

Gray woke with a start, eyes wide as he gasped to pull air into his lungs. A thin sheen of sweat glossed his pale skin, only being recognized once he pulled his hands down his face and felt the moisture that had gathered there. He groaned, throwing his bed sheets off of himself and striding over to his bathroom. He was surprised to see light peeking through the blinds on his window; he hadn't been sleeping through the night as of recent.

Gray decided to shower, trying to pull his mind away from the haunting memories that lingered there, the memories of death and heartache he was forced to face time and time again. Once he was clean and toweled off, and dressed for the time being, he decided to head out for the guild. Another job could get his mind off of it, it usually did. He had spent the past few days hanging out at the guild as well, idly chatting but mostly staying off to the side. He used to enjoy having the buzzing background noise, but lately he found himself wanting more silence. More solitude.

On his trek to the guild, he noticed that the clouds looked angry once again. It had been a couple of days since it last rained. It rained when he arrived in Magnolia, and it had been dry ever since. He sighed, cramming his hands in his loose pockets and simply hoping to beat the weather this time around. In his haste to walk and stare up at the sky, he hardly registered the path which he was walking until he came to a barrier. His dark eyes snapped back to Earthland where he found the interruption to his walking.

A woman was staring up at him with wide blue eyes, wavy cerulean hair blown back to reveal porcelain skin. He was surprised to find the same woman from a few days before in her current place on the ground. It faintly registered that he was the cause of her being in that position and he offered her a hand, which she hesitantly took. He pulled her to her feet effortlessly, all the while staring into those captivating large blue eyes.

"J-Juvia is sorry!" She stuttered, a faint blush dusting her cheeks as she quickly retracted her hand and placed it over her heart.

"No, it's my fault. I wasn't paying attention." Gray corrected, finding her behavior to be a bit odd on the basis of the day he met her. She seemed more animated, more life-like. "You're the woman from the train."

She stared at him, confused. "Juvia does not recall." She replied, and her eyes spoke that she was telling the truth.

Gray felt a stab to his ego, but was otherwise unphased. It wasn't like they'd become friends. "Well anyway, I'm Gray. It's nice to meet you... again." He answered awkwardly, unsure of why he felt compelled to reintroduce himself.

"Juvia feels bad that she does not remember Gray-sama." She blushed brighter, fidgeting with her fingers as she refused to meet his eyes, her gaze instead locked on his shoes. "Juvia should remember such a man."

Gray arched a fine brow, but ultimately decided to let it go on account of he just knocked her on the ground. "It's not a big deal, we didn't talk much."

"What did... Juvia say to Gray-sama?" She asked, her speech hesitant as she seemed to contemplate her wording. He found it rather odd.

"You just seemed to like rain." He answered monotonously, feeling uncomfortable with the radical difference in the character he first met and the character he was speaking with now.

She smiled sadly, giving a weak nod. "Where is Gray-sama going?" She asked, something about her seeming hopeful.

"I'm going to my guild for a job. Wanna come?" Gray was unsure himself of why he invited her, but he knew that she intrigued him. Juvia had shown up in his life, by coincidence or what have you, three times now. What's more, her personality seemed different. He was torn between wanting to know more and wanting to know less, but something about her really struck him as familiar. Either way, Fairy Tail was always accepting new artisans. They got more requests than they knew what to do with.

Her eyes lit up, but the spark soon shorted out. "Juvia cannot." She replied dejectedly, her flush finally beginning to recede. "Juvia is sorry, but Juvia will see you around Gray-sama!" She rushed, waving as she made for a hasty retreat.

He stared after her, perplexed and only able to wave back slowly. Gray wasn't sure what the can he had just opened was full of, but he couldn't much mind. With the perpetual repetition he felt consuming his life as of late, anything to break the pattern could be taken positively.

Continuing on his walk to the guild, he noticed how the clouds had passed over Magnolia, revealing the shining sun over all that surrounded him. He gave one final glance Juvia's way to find her completely vanished. He briefly wondered where she could've gotten to that fast, but decided not to dwell on it.

Fairy Tail was lively as ever, Natsu instigating some argument between Elfman, the hunter, and Gajeel, the blacksmith. Erza was keeping a close eye on things, as per usual, while Lucy sat with her forehead resting in her palm while her partner caused a ruckus. In her lap sat his blue feline, one of the three that hung around the guild. Gray smiled, walking over to scratch the cat, whose name was Happy, between the ears while he greeted Lucy.

"Oi, Gray!" Natsu called, his tone a challenge. "Who said you could pet Happy?"

Gray glared at him, crossing his arms over his chest as he called back, "Nobody had to, you damn pyromaniac." He rolled his eyes, somehow neglecting to realize his shirt and jacket were gone. "Besides, I'm not here for you. I'm here to take a job."

"Yeah, yeah, get on with it then, Frostbite." Natsu poked back, already riled up from his impending fight with Elfman.

Gray's eyes narrowed, but he relaxed once he realized that Natsu had already turned back to his previous engagements. Their feud rivaled all others, but remarkably they were good friends. Anytime Gray needed something, he could count on Natsu, and vice versa. Gray gave Lucy one last sympathetic glance for the fact she had to deal with the steaming hot head before walking over to the request board to search for a job.

 _The storm is coming._

* * *

 **A little mystery, a little mischief. Something is brewing, but it may not be what you think. Thanks for reading, please review if you would. I hope you all like.**


	3. The Journey (Part One)

**I think it's time to start picking it up, right? As always, thanks for reading.**

 **Disclaimer: I'm not Hiro Mashima, not even in drag.**

* * *

After a thorough mental debate over whether to take a commission for a sculpture or an escort mission, Gray decided that he could use a bit of an adventure. He read the job description for possibly the hundredth time, studying what he would be hired for:

ESCORT MAYOR PRICE AND FAMILY TO THEIR ESTATE IN MT. HAKOBE. MUST BE ABLE TO PROTECT THE MAYOR AT ALL COSTS FROM ANY THREATS. REWARD:

500,000 JEWELS.

The price tag suited him nicely and he well-met the criteria for the mission. He frequently traveled to Mt. Hakobe for training. He was familiar with the area, the climate, and the creatures that lurked there. Gray accepted the mission with confidence, leaving the guild with a smile. Nothing excited him more than the cold.

He set out immediately. The mission had only been posted that day, but he was eager to meet with the client and get the trip rolling. The mayor's house well-known, and was one of the larger buildings in Magnolia- a true attribute to his wealth. Gray was relieved to find that the weather was still clear, even with the earlier threat of rain. Although he _could_ use a nice, cool breeze to fend off the sweltering heat.

The walk was a leisurely one. It was still somewhat early to be showing up at someone's house, so he could afford to take his time. The trees were in full bloom, and the cherry blossoms provided a pleasant scent in the air. The people of Magnolia greeted Gray with smiles and waves, well aware of his status as an artisan. He had taken commissions and fixed up many local houses in his early days with the guild. He still took local jobs every now and again, but out of city jobs usually paid higher.

The silence was calming, welcomed. It was interesting how he could feel himself pulling towards solitude, though so much of his life had been haunted by feelings of loneliness. Before, he never wanted to be alone. Now, he could hardly sit a few hours in populated areas before he felt his mind recoiling itself from he noise. He reasoned that he could merely use some space; some time alone before he dove back into the thick of it. That was another reason he wanted to take this trip to Mt. Hakobe. Maybe he could stay a few days and camp.

He ended up at the Mayor's manor eventually, staring down the long stone pathway that led to the large wooden doors. Along either side of the path were planted rose bushes, moving in a gradient from white to pink to red, gaining color as one neared the house. Beyond the rose bushes lay vibrant green grass, which was well maintenanced. Gray was actually impressed, the place was beautiful.

Gray managed his way up the few stairs leading to the porch, assessing the intricately carved wooden doors before him. Patterns of cherub angels and mythological figures were delicately etched into the giant slabs of wood. The artist must have spent months, possibly years, crafting those doors. Their mass actually reminded him of the doors at the guild. He rose his hand to knock, the rapping sound just loud enough to catch someone's attention. It was a few moments before one of the giant wooden doors creaked open to reveal a short red-headed boy, freckles decorating much of his face and arms, who stared up at Gray with wide green eyes.

Before Gray had the chance to greet him, the boy animatedly blurted out, "Are you one of the artisans from the Fairy Tail guild?" His grin was full of boyish excitement; he appeared ready to burst at the seams.

Gray couldn't help but chuckle, finding the boy's reaction to be rather amusing. "You bet. Name's Gray Fullbuster, I'm here to talk to Mayor Price."

"So cool!" The boy exclaimed, grabbing Gray by the wrist and yanking him inside. Gray didn't have much time to think before he was being drug into his clients house by who he could only presume to be the mayor's child. "Dad!" The boy called out, hurrying for his father's attention.

Gray could hear footsteps coming from down the hall, followed by an urgent reply to the boy's call, "What's wrong, Caston? Is everything alright?" The man who rounded the corner was unmistakeably the mayor, a tall and lanky man who almost resembled a stick of bamboo. The expression of worry melted from his face and was replaced by a relieved grin. His appearance was in stark contrast to the previous mayor of Magnolia, who was rather short and much older.

"Hey Mayor Price, it's good to meet you." Gray smiled, offering his hand to shake. The man took it and gave him a firm shake. "Gray Fullbuster." He introduced himself. He fought the urge to remove his shirt. That was always the most difficult part of meeting with a client.

"It's great to see a face I recognize." Mayor Price replied, referring to Gray's common appearance in Craftsman Weekly, one of the most popular magazines circulating in Fiore. "You're renowned for your artful handiwork and your physical strength. I feel like we'll be in good hands. What do you think, Caston?"

"This is awesome!" The young boy proclaimed, throwing his hands up in elation.

Gray grinned. "I'm ready to work whenever you guys are ready to vacation."

"Of course." The mayor nodded, disappearing down the hall once more with young Caston right on his heels.

Gray watched the two of them zip off to retrieve their luggage and shook his head. They were full of excitement, that was certain. He couldn't blame them; they were going on vacation, after all. Mt. Hakobe was a beautiful place, though the journey could be troublesome if one happened to be careless. Vulcans and Blizzardverns were common and could be aggressive, resulting in many injuries in the past, and undoubtedly plenty to come in the future.

"Gray-sama?" The voice was becoming familiar the more he was exposed to it, which seemed to be often these days. Nevertheless, Gray was surprised to turn and find Juvia staring at him with a look of shock that must have mirrored his own. They had seen each other mere hours before, and now here they were running into each other again.

"Juvia?" He asked, "What are you doing _here_?" He could understand the street, but the mayor's house?

"Juvia is responding to a job request posted in the town square. What is Gray-sama doing here?" She turned the question around on him.

"I'm taking a job that was posted at my guild." He answered a little dryly. Many employers were known for posting jobs at multiple locations. Sometimes more than one artisan would respond to the job and the payment would either be split or the artisans would decide amongst themselves who got to complete the job. "I thought you said you couldn't take any requests." He accused, remembering her strange response to his offer earlier that morning.

She averted her gaze from his, suddenly finding the floor interesting. "Juvia never said she couldn't take requests. Juvia cannot go to any guilds." She clarified. At Gray's raised brow she sighed, deciding she must explain. "Juvia was a member of Phantom Lord before it was disbanded. No guild would accept Juvia now."

Phantom Lord was a borderline dark guild, known for attacking their competitors to eliminate chances of jobs being posted at other guilds. They were selfish, greedy, and violent, so says their reputation. That was also the guild that Gajeel had come from, but that was its own story. Gray couldn't imagine Juvia fitting in well at Phantom Lord, not from what he had seen of her. Maybe he was wrong.

He opened his mouth to protest her self-conviction, but stopped as Mayor Price, Caston, and the mayor's wife returned down the hall with luggage in hand. They were all giddy with anticipation. "Ready to go?" He asked, already knowing their answer. They all exclaimed their eagerness, save for Juvia who remained rather silent. She was staring at him, blushing like a fool.

Gray helped the family gather their luggage and place it in the carriage they would be taking to the base of Mt. Hakobe. It was considerably large and wooden with steel wheels that appeared rather durable and it was enclosed by sewn-together animal hides. Two horses were fastened to the carriage to pull it and the coachman sat in front, ready to drive. After loading up, the lot of them climbed inside.

The carriage ride was pleasant. Gray made idle small talk with the mayor and his family here and there, while they mostly talked amongst themselves. Juvia showed no interest in conversation, instead choosing to sit a bit too close to Gray and peek at him through her bright blue bangs. He found her to be quite strange.

From the time he met her he thought there was something distinctly _different_ about her. It was possibly the mysterious way she went about things, or the way she always seemed to have her own agenda. Even now, while she was taking a job, she didn't seem to have any plan on interacting with the client. He reasoned that she was only trying to focus on her job; protecting the mayor and his family at all costs, but something seemed _off._ Maybe later he would confront her about it, for now he would enjoy the silence and comfort of the ride to Mt. Hakobe.

The creaking of the carriage's turning wheels and the accompanying clopping of horses' hooves against pavement fell into a steady rhythm. It was about midday now. The heat was not welcomed by any party, but the covered buggy's roof kept the sun from beating down on them. Gray watched the scenery pass from the opened back of the carriage, recognizing the path that they were taking. It was a more exclusive route than most would take, but still not as private as his own.

As they neared the base of the mountain, the coachman warned him that it was as far as he could go. The mayor and his family thanked him for his services and paid him, bidding him a good day as Gray and Juvia unloaded the luggage. The family hadn't packed much, which led Gray to assume that they had plenty of necessities at their vacation home. It made sense that they packed light considering the hike that was Mt. Hakobe. No one would want to lug heavy suitcases deep into the mountains.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Mayor Price asked, grinning in evident excitement as he stared at the rocky path ahead. Their estate was a bit over half-way up the high mountain, just barely putting it in the snow.

"Ready when you are." Gray replied, offering a confident smile. The mayor nodded, leading the way up the mountain with his wife at his side. Caston fell into step beside Gray, as did Juvia on his other side.

"Is it fun to work in a guild?" Caston asked him, seeming almost shy as he did so.

The dark haired man smiled at him reassuringly, reaching down to ruffle the young man's unruly red hair. "It's the best."

Caston smiled brightly, his eyes alight with wonder. "I knew it! I want to be an artisan when I'm older!" He announced, calling out so that his mother and father could hear his proclamation.

"It's never too early to pick up a trade." Gray told him, glancing down to see he had Caston's full attention. He smiled. "Come by Fairy Tail some time, then you can decide if you like it."

Caston promised he would, seeming more energetic that ever as he told his father all about what he wanted to do once they returned from their vacation. Gray glanced back at Juvia, who seemed to have hearts in her eyes. He trailed her gaze down to his missing shirt and silently cursed, wondering where it had possibly disappeared to. He sighed. It was going to be a long trip.

* * *

 **Sorry it took me a while, homecoming week and job interviews take up time. It'll probably be another long update because I have two long, grueling essays to write for my professors. Thanks for reading and please review.**


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